SC - Recipes for period Bear Meat - long

[Cindy Renfrow]

Hello!  Here is the only recipe in "Take 1000 Eggs or More" that calls for
bear meat specifically.  This is a very elaborate layered dish in 4 colors,
like a checkerboard lasagne.

The 4 colors:
White - grind in a mortar, Ginger, Cinnamon, Galingale; take then almonds &
flour of Rice, and a part of Flesh, & cast thereto in a mortar, & grind
very small, & mix it with Eggs

Yellow - take Saffron, Ginger, Cinnamon, Galingale, Bread, & a part of
thine Flesh, & grind it small in the mortar, & mix it up with Eggs.

Black -  take Ginger, Cinnamon, Galingale, Bread, Eggs, & Old cheese.
**This should probably say *burnt* bread, otherwise it won't be black.

Green - take then Parsley, & grind it small in a mortar, & wring it & do it
up; & add it to thine Flesh, & there-with color thine fair part of Flesh.

I think the strong thick dough cake is intended to serve as a baking
container, otherwise this 7-layer construction (with stew & grease between
the layers), would likely slide apart.  But I haven't tried it.  If you'd
care to send me some of that bear meat, I'll give it a go.  ;-)

Harleian MS. 279 Dyuerse Bake Metis

xij.  Vn Vyaunde Furne[3] san[3] noum de chare.   Take stronge Dow, & make
a cake sumdele [th]icke, & make it tow; [th]an take larde[3] of Venysoun,
or a bere, or of a Bere, & kerue hem [th]inne as Fylettes of Porke, & lay
[th]in lardys square as a chekyr, & ley [th]er-vppe a tyne y-makyd of
Eyroun vppe-on [th]e tyne; ley [th]in farsure, y-makyd of Hennys, & of
Porke, of Eyroun, & myid brede, & Salt, & chese, yf [th]ou it hast; &
[th]at it be makkyd at .iiij. tymes.  Fyrst make [th]us [th]in whyte
farsure:  grynd in a mortere, Gyngere, Canelle, Galyngale; take then
almaundys & floure of Rys, and a party of Fleysshe, & caste ther-to in a
mortere, & grynd ry[3]th smal, & temper it with Eyroun, [th]us make [th]in
[3]elow Farsure:  nym Safroun, Gyngere, Canel, Galyngale, Brede, & a partye
of [th]in Fleyssche, & grynd it smal in [th]e mortere, & temper it vppe
with Eyroun.  The [th]ryd maner schal ben blake:  nym Gyngere, Canelle,
Galyngale, Brede, Eyroun, & Old chese; nym [th]an Percely, & grynd it smal
in a mortere, & wryng it & do it vppe; & do it to [th]in Fleyssche, &
[th]er-with coloure [th]in fayre partye of Fleyssche, & ley a party of
[th]in Fleyssche on .iiij. quarterys, but [th] at [th]e brede be as [th]in
cake; take [th]en & ley [th]er-vppe-on [th]in Fleyssche, & lay
[th]er-vppe-on a grece; a-boue [th]in grece ley [th]i cyvey; nym [th]in
[th]ridde cours of [th]in Flessche, & lay as brode as [th]in cake, & [th]an
grece, & [th]er a-bouyn, a cyvey.  ley [th]e iiij. course of [th]in
Fleyssche on .iiij. quarterys as brode as [th]in cake, & [th]an grece, &
[th]an a-boue, a cyuey.  The .v. cours of [th]in Fleyssche, ley as brode as
[th]ine cake, & [th]en grece, & [th]an aboue, a cyuey.  Nym [th]e .vj.
cours, & lay as brode as [th]in cake, & [th]an grece, & [th]an a cyuey.
Nym [th]e .viij. cours of [th]e Fleysshe, & lay as brode as [th]in cake on
.iiij. quarterys, & grece, & [th]an a cyvey; & a lytel bake hem, & serue
forth.

xij.  Vn Vyaunde Furne[3] san[3] noum de chare.  Take strong Dough, & make
a cake somewhat thick, & make it tough; then take slices of Venison, or a
bear, or of a Bear, & carve them thin as Filets of Pork, & lay thine slices
square as a checkerboard, & lay thereupon a pancake made of Eggs upon the
pancake; lay thine stuffing, made of Hens, & of Pork, of Eggs, & crumbled
bread, & Salt, & cheese, if you have it; & that it be made at 4 times.
First make thus thine white stuffing:  grind in a mortar, Ginger, Cinnamon,
Galingale; take then almonds & flour of Rice, and a part of Flesh, & cast
thereto in a mortar, & grind very small, & mix it with Eggs, thus make
thine yellow Stuffing:  take Saffron, Ginger, Cinnamon, Galingale, Bread, &
a part of thine Flesh, & grind it small in the mortar, & mix it up with
Eggs.  The third manner shal be black:  take Ginger, Cinnamon, Galingale,
Bread, Eggs, & Old cheese; take then Parsley, & grind it small in a mortar,
& wring it & do it up; & add it to thine Flesh, & there-with color thine
fair part of Flesh, & lay a part of thine Flesh on 4 quarters, but that the
breadth be as thine cake; take then & lay thereupon thine Flesh, & lay
thereupon a grease; above thine grease lay thy stew; take thine third
course of thine Flesh, & lay as broad as thine cake, & then grease, & there
above, a stew.  lay the 4th course of thine Flesh on 4 quarters as broad as
thine cake, & then grease, & then above, a stew.  The 5th course of thine
Flesh, lay as broad as thine cake, & then grease, & then above, a stew.
Take the 6th course, & lay as broad as thine cake, & then grease, & then a
stew.  Take the 8th [sic] course of the Flesh, & lay as broad as thine cake
on 4 quarters, & grease.  & then a stew; & a little bake them, & serve
forth.

(From "Take a Thousand Eggs or More", 2nd ed., vol 2, pp. 470-471,
copyright 1990, 1997, Cindy Renfrow.)

Regards,


Cindy Renfrow/Sincgiefu
renfrow at skylands.net
Author & Publisher of "Take a Thousand Eggs or More, A Collection of 15th
Century Recipes" and "A Sip Through Time, A Collection of Old Brewing
Recipes"
http://www.thousandeggs.com -- please come visit my new web site!



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